Spit It Out
by TimTrainsDragons
Summary: We all know that Sandy cheated on Sodapop, and we all want to kill her. But why did she do it? There has to be some reason why. Well, to learn that reason, you have to go way back to the summer when Sodapop was 16. Life was good, great even. It got better when someone from his past comes to town. He's excited to see her again, but his girlfriend... Not so much. Someone's jealous!
1. Chapter 1

I never thought about her. She had moved away when we were twelve, about to start seventh grade. We were never best friends, we only talked in school.

Ever since kindergarten, she'd usually get stuck with me and Steve at the same table. I'll admit, Steve and I weren't the best people to sit next **to** in class, but she didn't really mind. She'd either just sit and listen to us, or tune us out, it depended on the day. But that was only through fourth grade.

In fifth grade, all the lessons suddenly became harder. Steve was doing okay, making good enough grades to get by, but I was completely screwed. Nothing made sense! I'd ask Steve for help, but he sucked at explaining school lessons. But she helped. Without her, I would've been held back, probably. It was the same routine everyday, teacher explains, she explains it better, she gets yelled at for talking, I stick up for her, and then teacher rolls their eyes and moves on with the lesson. When she left was when I started to stop understanding the lessons.

In sixth grade, Steve and I were in separate classes. But she was in my class, and she was discovered to be a nice person. She still helped me when I needed it. In art class, she'd do the hard stuff for me. In music class, she'd make sure to pair with me because she knew real well that I hated every single girl in that school except her.

It was one of those music class pairings that had one of the most vivid memories of her. The music teacher said that you and a partner pick a song and dance for the whole class. We chose an Elvis song and had great fun dancing to it, even when she completely tripped over her own feet. She was laughing harder then I was.

We never hung out outside of school, but that didn't really matter. We were school buds, no more no less. At least at first. Not only did she teach me math and science and such, she also taught me a very valuable lesson: you want to get the girl, make a move before you're friend zoned. Though those feelings for her were just a small stage, I think it lasted about a week.

It was in art class that she told me that she was moving. We'd been sewing and she was explaining how to do an overcast stitch. I don't remember how I reacted or felt, but I'll bet that I was upset. At the end of class, she tied a scrap of fabric around my wrist. I don't know why. I'm pretty sure I lost the ready made bracelet over the years, but that never crossed my mind.

The last day I saw her was the last day of school. She was about to walk out the door when I stopped her. I gave her a going away gift. It was a chain with a horse charm on it. She thanked me as she clasped it around her neck. Knowing that it was the last time we'd ever see each other, we hugged. Then she was gone.

Now, I'm sixteen. My parents died a few months ago, I dropped out of school, and I have a girlfriend named Sandy. I work full time at the DX and Steve works part time. It was the hottest day of the summer. Steve and I were staying inside the station with Sandy and Steve's girl, Evie.

I never thought of her. She never crossed my mind. Until, Miss. Ana Ereth pulled up outside the DX on her bike with her little sister in tow. I knew it was her. As she took her helmet off, I caught a glimpse of fool's gold around her neck. As she handed her sister some money, I saw the horse charm. I strained my ears to hear what she was saying.

"Here's some money for a drink," Ana said.

"Can I have some more?" Her sister asked.

"Ha! You're lucky I gave you any at all!" But she handed more money over anyway. I excused myself and went outside as the sister came in, leaving Ana alone. I couldn't believe it was really her!

Ana hadn't seen me approach, she was facing the opposite direction."I like your necklace," I said.

"Thank you," she said, not turning around.

"You new in town?" I asked.

"Well, I lived here a few years back, then moved away, and now I moved back." Still not turning around.

"Yeah, I figured, because I haven't seen you since I gave you that necklace."

She finally turned around and saw me, and I finally got a full look at her. Her brown hair had gotten longer and she was taller, but her smile was the same. She was the only person I knew that smiled as much as me. Overall, she looked... Nice, I guess.

Ana looked so happy to see me. Her eyes glowed and smiled like the sun."Soda?" I nodded."Oh my gosh, I never thought I'd see you again!"

I welcomed her hug. We broke apart.

"It's great to have you back," I stated awkwardly. It felt like my whole body just ran a mile and left my mind behind.

"It's great to be back," she agreed."What's gone on since I left?"

"Umm... Not much," I lied."I have a girlfriend her name's Sandy, I'm sure you two will be great friends. And... I dropped out of school." I didn't know how she'd feel about that. She always believed that I was smart and could make through school, no matter how many times I said I wouldn't.

"Oh, okay," she replied simply, still smiling.

"You're not upset?" I asked in disbelief."I thought school was a big deal to you?"

"It is a big deal, but it was your decision. What could I do?" She was always the practical kind. Things always made sense to her. She understood everything. I mean, everything. I guess that's how she was able to help me in grade school: She understood the way I was slow to understanding and had too much of a wild mind to comprehend grammar and scientific theory. She taught me to use my craziness to help instead of slow me down, but it's obvious that strategy only worked for so long.

"Thanks, that makes feel better," I said."Well, I have to get back to work, but we can catch up later. You still sew?" She nods."By the time the clothes get through Darry and me their too worn for Pony. Could you come over tomorrow around 1:00 or something and, you know, patch 'em up?"

"I look forward to it," she said.

I told her my address and went back to work."Steve! Steve! Steve!" I chanted childishly.

"What! What? What?" He mocked me.

"Guess who I just talked to outside?"

"I don't know! Just tell me." Steve ordered.

"It was Ana! She's back!" I said gleefully.

After we talked about her for a while with a few "Remember when?" moments, we just got back to work.

The next day, I heard a knock on the door. I answered and welcomed Ana in. As I've gotten older, I've realized that she was basically the only person I was close to outside of the gang. But there's also Sandy, but that's different, she's my girlfriend.

We talked a little before she went through the pile of old clothes."Most of these just need the seam reinforced," she stated.

"Great," I said before notice something."Are you okay? You look a little sick."

She touched her cheek, which were pinker then they should be."Probably just a wind burn from riding my bike here," she shrugged.

"You rode your bike all the way here? But you live all the way on the other side of town..." My voice broke off.

I never realized this before. Ana was a soc.

I couldn't believe it. Ana, a soc? She didn't act or dress like one. She was always just a person. Just a girl. In grade school, it didn't matter what side of town you were from. The west side kids would stick to there packs and east side kids would stick to theirs. The intensity of the titles Soc and Grease didn't matter until middle school, which Ana was lucky enough to miss. I realized then that Ana didn't have many friends. She never did.

"No big deal," she continued as if my voice didn't just fall off the face if the earth."It was fun. For all I know, it could be a pretty little sunburn like the one on your shoulder."

I blushed. This was embarrassing. I had a sunburn on my shoulder, but you could only see it if I had my shirt off, which I'd maybe forgotten I did. I'd put one on this morning, but had taken it off soon after. The seam of the t-shirt's sleeves kept rubbing against it and making it sting.

"Try this..." Ana said. She took a t-shirt from the pile and made two snips with some scissors where the shirt met the sleeves. Then she simply ripped the sleeves off. She tossed it to me."Now there are no seams to annoy you!"

"How'd you know that was what the problem was?" I asked as I tugged the new/old shirt on. She was right, it didn't bother me at all.

"I've had a sunburn on my shoulder before. It sucked."

"Correction: It sucks," I said.

I turned the radio on while she worked and we talked all the while as well. I watched her as she sewed, her eyes fixed on the needle going in and out of the fabric. Her dark brown hair was a shade lighter then it was, but it still kept falling into her face. I remember in gym class the coach would ask her to tie her hair back, but she refused. She'd rather get conked on the head with a ball she didn't see coming her way then tie her hair back. I believe that her reasoning was that it hurts to pull it back and to take it down again. She also said I wouldn't understand as a boy and she was right. Like always.

"Finished!" She said after about two hours.

"Already?" I gaped."That was fast."

"Thank you," she said.

"I'll see you again soon?" I hope.

"If you want," she agreed with her usual happy smile.

"Yes, it's what I want," I said a little too eagerly.

I didn't know I missed her this much. Now that she's back, I'm having a hard time seeing her walk away every time. Was it regret for not getting to know her as much as I could in sixth grade? Or am I closer to her then I thought and want to be her friend again? I may never know.

**A/N: This is the beginning to my first multi chapter story. Please let me know what you think in the reviews! I really want to know what you think!**


	2. Chapter 2

Ana stopped by the DX a lot. I didn't mind. Steve was never her biggest fan, but she was growing on him.

One hot summer day, my boss said we had a new employee. He was a tall and skinny guy with black hair. He said his name was Rick Ereth."You're Ana's older brother!" I said."She talks about you sometimes."

Her stories usually consist of him of falling off cliffs or running into things and in general just him being extremely clumsy, but he didn't need to know that."And your Sodapop. She talks about you and Steve a lot, too." I couldn't help it, I grinned like Dopey from Snow White and The Seven Dwarves. I didn't think she would talk about me, she hardly ever talks at all. Me and Steve are an exception, she says. She says it'd be insane to not talk to us.

Rick was a good guy. He stays out of Steve's way, which is something all employees have to learn quickly. The Boss hired him to do all the hard math and such because Steve and I aren't too good at that.

There were only a few days before school started, it wasn't important to me, but Steve, Two-Bit, Ponyboy, and Ana would be going backing. Sandy and Evie too. I'd be a little lonely, I guess, but not really.

Ana didn't have any girl friends. So I asked Evie and Sandy to take her with them on their girls' day, to make the last day before school a good one for all of them. I think they'll have a good time, I mean, what could possibly go wrong?

Sandy's POV

I was actually really excited about spending a day with Soda's friend. From what he said, she doesn't have very many friends, and everyone should have friends. Evie and I decided that we should just hang out at Evie's house and get to know this girl. It would be fun.

Evie is actually really cool with her parents. They don't fight, or yell, or anything else that most greaser's parents do, like mine. Her parents are like the siblings that are older then you by a lot: They're just chill and relaxed about everything.

"So, Ana, Sandy," Evie began. We were all sitting on her bedroom floor."Let's play Truth or Dare minus Dare."

"So... We're just asking each other questions?" Ana clarified.

"Bingo! Only, it's more like one of us asks question and we all have to answer."

"Cool," Ana said.

"I'll go first!" I volunteered."Who was your first kiss? Mine was with someone named Jackson back in the ninth grade."

"Some weirdo in kindergarten," Evie shrugged.

Ana was quiet. She hesitated before answering,"It actually hasn't happened yet. I've never had a boyfriend or anything else lovey dovey. The closest thing to that is the times I've hugged Soda." I don't know what happened, but I felt my cheeks flush and my eyes darken, but only for a second. What was that?"I've always wanted to fall in love. I'm 100% sure it's the most amazing feeling in the world!"

"Aw," I gushed."That's alright. I'm sure the guy for you is somewhere."

"Screw that!" Evie scoffed."You need to hook up soon or all the good guys will be taken!"

"Come on, Evie," I sighed."You'll scare the living day lights out of her! We're only in high school, I don't think people get married during high school."

Ana whispered something not audible."What was that?" I asked.

"Sorry!... Er, uh... You just said something that reminded me of a secret I'm supposed to keep," she rushed to say.

"Ooh," Evie said excitedly."A secret! Spill Sister, we won't tell."

Or I won't, I thought.

"Can't, it involves one of you," she teased. Ana's smile was infectious, like Soda's, but not when she's hanging something over your head.

Evie groaned, knowing Ana wouldn't budge. Ana had that determined look in her eye that said,"Back off!" at that moment.

Later, I met with Soda."How'd it go with Ana?" He asked as soon as he saw me. The same thing that happened earlier when Ana mentioned Soda happened again. What was going on?

"Fine," I grunted."You know she's never had a boyfriend?" I asked, acting happy again.

"I would hope not," he said. I felt heat arise inside me."Whatever boy that wants to tangle with her would have to go through me." I relaxed.

"Gee, are you her friend or her father?" I teased him.

On Friday afternoon, Evie and I hung out with Ana again. We were walking in the park. As we passed some street performers playing and singing while sitting on the edge of the fountain, Ana's face lit up. She danced to the music, clearly not caring if people watched her. Evie and I sat on a bench.

"What do you think of this girl?" I asked."I think she's a little strange, don't you?"

Evie laughed."Strange? She's as normal as you or me!"

"But she... She..."

"Exactly what I'm saying! She's okay and you know it!" Evie said.

"There's something off about her. She's trouble, I can feel it."

Ana's POV

I was having the greatest time dancing. I'm not the best dancer, but it's fun to do. I like this park, it's so peaceful. The fountain's beautiful, as well. I can't imagine a wrong thing happening in this park.

"Hey, Miss. Soc!" I heard someone shout."I'm talking to you!"

I looked at the guy who'd been shouting. He was slim with greasy hair and a leather jacket."Yeah, you! What are you doing in this park?"

"Isn't this a public park?" I asked, confused.

"You're trespassing on greaser territory," he sneered."You should get out."

I paused to think."Yeah..." I said slowly."This is a public park. I didn't see a sign that said it wasn't."

"Beat it, Soc, before I make you." Now I was really scared. Was I doing something wrong? Evie and Sandy came up behind me.

"It's alright, Shepard," Evie said."She's with us." Shepard stalked away in a huff.

"What was he talking about?" I was shaking."What's a soc?"

"Socs are the people who live on the West side of town. The people on the East side are called Greasers. We don't get along with each other too well." Sandy said.

"Why?" I pressed. I was physically shaking. I thought I caught a glimpse of Sandy rolling her eyes, but I must've imagined it.

"Socs drive around in their fancy cars looking for trouble," Evie explained."They catch a glimpse of a greaser and that's it! Game over my friend! They jump out of the car and beat up whatever greaser they got their hands on."

"Why?" I asked again. It was like I lost all other vocabulary.

"There's no reason other then boredom, I guess," Evie shrugged.

I took a deep breath as we walked down the path."How did he know I was a... Soc?"

"Probably by what you're wearing," Sandy said.

"But I don't dress any different then you!" I said. I liked hand me downs and thrift store clothes. They were more comfortable then any other apparel you could find.

"By your watch or your necklace, maybe?" Sandy shrugged.

"This was my grandma's watch," I said."It's nothing special. And this necklace was from Soda." Sandy coughed.

"Well, we're not experts on how the Shepard mind works," Evie said."You should just be more careful, is all. Stick by us and you won't get hurt."

Evie was a rough girl. She curses like a sailor and is not afraid to kick someone's rear. But, when necessary, she can be really sweet and serious. I'm glad to have her as a friend.


	3. Chapter 3

When I got home, the house was the same old, same old. Rick was watching TV, Mom was probably working in her office, I could hear my little sister running around in the back yard with one her many, many friends, and Dad was... Well, I'm sure he's fine, wherever he is.

My sister has always been popular, Rick and I tease her about it all the time. Rick is the achiever. He's always getting academic awards, making it into varsity teams, and continuously making my parents proud. My sister takes after him.

I'm the odd one of the bunch. I'm quiet, make mostly 'A's and 'B's instead 4.2 GPAs, and am terrible at sports. I tried out for the volleyball team and got in, but only because my serves are like a pro's, but other then that, I suck. I'm always tripping and slipping, I tend to be clumsy a lot. I only tried out because my dad likes me to play sports and I have to do all I can for him, even if he's not around.

Daddy, I missed him so much. I'd always been a Daddy's Girl, and was proud of it. I miss him so much it hurts. I hadn't told anyone about what's going on with my dad and I don't plan to. It's hard to go through the house and see his face smiling at me through the picture frames and not remember the good times before _realizing_ how long it'll be before we have another Father-Daughter moment.

I climbed the stairs up to the room I share with my sister. Of all the houses in the neighborhood, ours was the smallest. Before we moved away, it was the biggest, but a lot can change in four years. Apparently, one of those things were houses.

Another thing that changed was Sodapop, I thought as I layed on my bed. Not in a bad way, he was better then before. I remembered how much he hated girls. I don't know why he did, I think it's because they kept throwing themselves at his feet. I don't think he understood that they like-liked him, he probably just thought they were crazy. A lot of times, a girl would ask me to put in a good word for them. I never did.

I thought back to when we were kids, the best times of my life. Not a worry in the world, nothing but freedom to just have a good time. I didn't have many friends. The only friends I had were Steve and Soda, and Steve hated me then. He never said so, but I could tell. He thought I was an annoying tag along, know it all, and bossy.

I'm not any of those things. I stuck around them because they were my only friends, I was smart, but not a know it all, and I wasn't bossy, I just tried my best to make sure they got good grades by telling them how to do things. If they didn't do it that way, I let it go. I can't control them. I can't control anything anyone does. Including me.

The next morning, I went downstairs and was greeted with the smell of breakfast."You're cooking again?" I asked.

"Yep," Rick replied."What better way is there to spend my Saturday morning?"

"Is it edible?" I ask as I look into the pan.

"Yes."

"I meant for me," I clarified.

"Yes," he said again.

I'm the world's pickiest eater. I'm picky with the taste of the food, not where it comes from or who cooked it like other West side girls I've met. I hate all fruit except apples and bananas, most vegetables, I'm a pansy with spicy foods, and mint flavored anything makes my tongue burn. This pickiness tends to make me feel really bad, because sometimes Mom has to put in extra effort to keep part of a meal plain for me. This also leads to trouble when I eat dinner at someone else's house. I try new things, although hesitantly, and most of the time, I don't like it. I know, it makes no sense, but I like what I like and hate what I hate.

Mom came into the kitchen."Smell's good Rick," she complemented."Do you guys have plans today?"

"Not really," I said."I thought I could go see Steve and Soda later today."

"Them again? Aren't there any girls you hang out with?" Rick asked.

"Yes. Evie and Sandy," I replied.

"Who are they?" Mom asked.

"Steve and Soda's girlfriends," I said sheepishly. I really don't have many friends.

"You could go see what that girl next door is doing," Rick offered."She seems nice."

"Cherry? I guess I could talk to her. She's in my English class and she is really nice."

"I thought her name was Sherry?" Mom said.

"It is, but Cherry's a good nickname for a Sherry with red hair," I explained.

"Like Ana for Anabelle?"

"Yes," I said. Daddy calls me Anabelle, not Ana. Sometimes he'll throw in my middle name, Jane. 'Anabelle Jane,' he would say as he laughed at me when I did something goofy or silly. Gosh, I miss him.

Later in the morning, I went outside. I looked over at Cherry's yard. I saw the red head kneeling down in the garden."Good morning!" I said.

"Good morning," Cherry said.

"What are you doing?" I asked.

"I'm collecting the last vegetables of the season-" She grunts and pulls a weed up from the roots."-and pulling weeds."

"Can I help?" I asked.

"Sure, but it won't be much fun," Cherry hinted.

"Who said it would be?" I laughed as I crossed over to her yard and knelt down in the dirt."I really don't mind working at all."

"That would make you the first," Cherry said as she wiped some sweat off her brow.

"Oh, look!" I said."Dandelions! It won't be until Spring that we see them again."

"Thank goodness!" Cherry said."I'm tired of pulling those weeds up."

"They're not weeds!" I said indignantly."They're flowers! They're my favorite kind of flower!"

"Can someone vouch for that?" She teased me.

"Sodapop! He agrees with me," I smiled at the memory of the argument he and I had on the Weed vs. Flower debacle."You know him? He works at the DX."

"Oh, yeah. He's the good looking one. Well, I guess they're a little pretty," She agreed uncertainly."Oh! I have an idea!"

"What is it?" I asked excitedly.

"You pull the weeds and keep all the dandelions you find while I gather the vegetables. I'll tell you the rest later!"

I did as I was told. When we finished, Cherry picked up the basket of veggies and I gathered up the dandelions. I followed her inside her house."Hey, Mom," Cherry called."I finished things in the garden!"

"Thanks, Cher!" I heard Mrs. Valance call.

"Come this way," Cherry said. She took me into the kitchen places the basket on the counter. Then she led me out another door and up a grand staircase.

We entered a large bedroom. Cherry's bedroom. The walls were light pink and white crown molding. The carpet was a honey brown and so were the curtains on the window. There was a desk on one wall, a vanity on the opposite, and a queen sized bed with white covers and pillows along another wall.

"This is a lovely room," I complemented her.

"Thank you," she said with a smile."How 'bout I share that idea?"

"Oh, yes please!" I aspired.

It turns out, Cherry's idea was to use the dandelions to accent our hair. It was actually really fun, I liked being a bit of a girly girl for a day. I'd don't do hair that much. I can't stand wearing ponytails, but it's fun to do other people's hair. I'd do my sister's hair, but she's a tomboy and would kill me before I even brush it. Cherry was the girl friend I'd always wanted, or needed, I'm not sure which.

"Does it look okay?" Cherry asked me as she looked into her mirror.

"It looks great. I'm the one who did it," I said."Why does it matter?"

"It doesn't, I guess," she said uncertainly."I have a date tonight."

"I didn't know you had a boyfriend?" I said. I always wondered about other people's relationships because I've never had one.

"Oh, yeah. We've been going steady for more then a year," Cherry stated nonchalantly.

"Who is he?" I asked as I bounced up and down on the bed.

"Bob Sheldon," she replied with a far off look."You know him?"

I thought about for a minute."I think I do... Does he live in the house on the next block with the blue car?"

"Yep, that's him," Cherry nodded.

"What's he like?" I wondered. What are boyfriends like?

Cherry sat next to me on the bed."He has good manners, he's a gentleman, he can be really sweet... And he doesn't know his limits... So it's up to me to show him."

"That's sounds nice," I sighed."Being in love."

"It is. When you find it, make sure you tell me."

"Why? So we can swoon?" I asked.

"No. I just feel like just being girls with you is fun. Girls do their hair talk about boys. Most girls talk complain about things when they talk to each other and ignore whatever the other person says, but you listen. You listen and take what's being said to heart. I don't meet many girls like you."

"Thanks Cherry," I said and looked at the ground. It's impossible for me to take a complement without being a little shy.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Thanks to everyone who has reviewed! It really is appreciated! So, I really want you guys to root for Ana. I hope you guys will be shocked with what happens in the next chapter. But that's later! This is chapter four! Enjoy!**

Soda's POV

"What's your hurry, Rick?" I asked. He was working like lightning.

"I'm cooking dinner for my family tonight," he said."My mom's been busy working so I thought I'd take some weight off her shoulders for tonight."

"That's nice of you," I commented.

"It's part of being a good son," he shrugged."Since I'm the one cooking, I can invite guests. You and Steve want to come?"

"Can't," Steve said."I'm going out with Evie tonight."

"But I'd love to," I added.

"I'm sure Ana will be excited that you're coming," Rick said with a sly grin.

When we got to the house, we walked in silently. I heard a lot of commotion coming from the living room. Rick and I watched the interesting scene in front of us from the entryway of the room.

"You're losing!" Ana had her little sister pinned to the floor. Her little sister, I forget her name, was laughing as she tried to break free. She succeeded and threw Ana off of her onto her back climbed on top of her.

"Sucker!" She hissed to Ana. Ana rolled over and then began tickling her. The giggles coming from the girl's small frame was adorable. She was like fourteen or something, but she looked eleven or twelve.

She was clearly a tough fourteen year old girl though, and she managed to reach up and tickle Ana right back. Ana shrieked and accidentally launched herself backward into the coffee table."Owwww," she groaned. Her sister laughed.

"What are you two doing?" Rick asked, alerting them to our presence.

"She started it!" Ana pointed childishly at her sister.

"Did not!"

"Yes you did!" Ana said. She didn't mean it, she was giggling.

"Faye?" Rick raised an eyebrow. That's it! That's her name!

"Who knows how it started?" Faye shrugged."It just sorta happened." She saw me."Who are you?"

"That's Soda," Ana told her, she was still laying on the floor."The question is: Why is he here?"

"I invited him for dinner," Rick said.

"Hey," I waved at them. Rick went to the kitchen and Faye got up off the floor and followed him. I looked at Ana and chuckled,"Are you gonna get up?"

"No," she said."I think I'll stay down here awhile."

"Is it comfortable down there?" I wondered.

"Yes, and the weather's fantastic this time of year."

I sat down next to her. When I did, she at least sat up and crossed her legs.

"I thought I was friends with a sweet girl," I said."But turns out that she beats up little kids!"

"Faye? Little? She could beat up a rhino and run a mile afterwards!" Ana insisted.

"I would hate to fight with that," I concluded.

"Do you and your brothers play fight? You and your gang?" She asked.

"Yeah, sometimes even real fights," I said.

"You enjoy it?" She asked.

"I guess," I paused."I guess I just like fights. They're energetic and blow off steam."

"And competitive," Ana added to my list."You and Steve were the most competitive people I ever met."

"Thank you," I said, a little bit cocky.

"Who said it was a complement?" Ana questioned me.

"You may beat up little kids," I put a hand on her shoulder."But you'd never hurt me."

"Are you guys ready for school?" Mrs. Ereth asked her children as we all ate dinner.

"Yes, I took Faye to the store and we bought all the supplies we need today," Ana assured her mother. That explains why she wasn't at the DX today, not that I noticed or anything!

"What about you, Sodapop," Mrs. Ereth asked me.

Ah shoot, I thought."I actually dropped out of school last semester," I said uncertainly.

What was I thinking, coming to dinner at a Soc family's house? I just made a fool of myself! I showed them that I am the trash people think greasers are! Ana's mom is probably going to forbid her from seeing me ever again or something. But I was wrong. Ana's family doesn't mind at all, just like her. Mrs. Ereth simply said,"Well, hopefully you can try school again sometime."

"Hey Faye," Rick said suddenly."While we're talking about school, spell, "Marvelous"."

"M-A-R-V-O-L-E-S?" She guessed.

"It's M-A-R-V-E-L-O-U-S, isn't it?" I stated uncertainly.

"And you dropped out of school," Rick teased me.

"I only know it because Ana managed to beat it into my skull in the fifth grade," I smiled sheepishly, and I could see that across the table, Ana was too.

Dinner at the Ereths' was fun. Ana's dad wasn't at dinner, but I remember from before that he leaves for work early in the morning and will sometimes stays late if he has meeting or something, so I guessed that was what he was doing. They still managed to have nice, family conversations filled with laughter and teasing. I remember when my dinners were like this. Did I tell Ana about my parents? I don't think I did. But I can't just blurt out,"My parents are dead!". I'll have to wait for the right time. Maybe that time is closer then I think.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N Okay, I did something pretty sad on my History Homework. The assignment was to draw four pictures to describe our next unit, The Cold War. During the Cold War, there is also the Vietnam War, the war where Sodapop dies. What do I do? I draw a tomb stone that says RIP Sodapop Curtis! I then draw four roses, two from his brothers and one from Steve and one from Two-Bit. Then I quote the song "Dig Two" cause I'm crazy. I look at it and wonder what the heck is wrong with me?(Don't answer that.)**

**Don't worry Sodapop fans, I altered this story just to keep Soda from dying! You'll see what I mean in some future chapters. Anyway, this is a very important chapter because it causes a chain reaction of unfortunate events that lead to the end. Shout out to Pony'sgirlfriend for her amazing "Team Ana" review!**

**Also the funniest thing happened. I was tickling my little sister to try to get her off of the bed. She pushes me off of the bed and then she throws her head back and hits it on a nearby chair! Then she gets off the bed and starts kicking me very viciously. I say to myself,"And he says I beat up little kids?.." Fiction really can come true! If I see a boy wearing a Mickey Mouse shirt or a blue mustang today I'm going to scream! If you see a random girl screaming, it might be me! Now, on with the story! Here you go!**

It felt like school had always been going on, except it's only been about four weeks. I was glad to get into a routine, I hate it when things change. But the world seems to enjoy changing, so the odds are always against me. Then again, the odds are always against us greasers.

Rick never showed up for work one September Wednesday. I figured he must be sick or something. Before I could get off work, I had to do a bit of his job. I thought it wouldn't be that hard. That I could manage a few math problems. Boy, was I ever wrong!

I sat with the notes in front of me for a whole ten minutes past the time my shift was supposed to end. My breathing was getting heavy, my head was spinning, and if I stared at the numbers any longer, I think I might actually cry. This was exactly why I dropped out of school. It wasn't just math either, it was all the subjects. Except Auto Mechanics and Gym. I never told anyone that I was on the edge of tears every hour of every school day. The only person who knew was Steve, because he was with me every step of the way. He was the one who advised me to drop out of school.

The pencil was jerked out of my hand and I watched someone finish off the problem right before my eyes. They did it in about ten seconds. Some would feel bad but I felt good that I didn't have to struggle any longer. I looked up into the brown eyes of my best girl friend as she placed the pencil down.

"Thanks," I said. My breathing had returned to normal. I had a relieved feeling in my chest that I remember would fill up every time the final bell of the day rang.

"No problem," Ana replied."Just like old times, right?"

Something was wrong. Ana was smiling, but it seemed forced. Her eyes didn't gleam with life like I was used to seeing them do all the time. I also had a hunch she might've been crying earlier. Why?

"Are you-" I started to say, but was cut off.

"My brother wanted me to give this to you," she interrupted me. I took the slip of paper from her hands.

I unfolded and read what was written on it in Rick's slanted, left handed, scrawl."A letter of resignation?" I asked uncertainly."Why?"

"He, uh... Rick... He..." Ana looked as if she was going to cry. I pulled her down into the chair next to mine and wrapped my arm around her shoulder as she cried.

The tears fell between deep breaths, like she was trying to make them stop falling. I've noticed that all people cry differently. Some could flat out sob, or have tears fall silently with no other factor, or you could cry like Ana. There might be other ways, but I haven't seen it.

"Rick went to fight in the war," Ana finally choked out."He left today. And my dad's been gone ever since we moved back here."

"I had no idea," I whispered. I had never thought about the war. The war between greasers and socs was the only war I focused on (which indicates why I failed history, doesn't it?).

I see all sides. I always have, which is why it's hard for me to fight, I can't even fight for my own cause. I don't understand the big deal about whether a country's a democracy or is Communist. It' snot our country, so they should be able to do what they want. And I never hated the socs like other greasers did. I understood that they were brought up differently, and I used to respect that. I got my distaste for them when they jumped Johnny. Now they've crossed the line, I had thought that night.

"You could've told me," I said."You can tell me anything. I would never tell no one."

"I just didn't want any pity," Ana sighed."That's all I've been getting that from everyone else. I just wanted my insensitive guy friends to treat me like they always have."

"I can relate," I assured her.

She didn't say,"I doubt it" or "Yeah, right" like most people would. She just asked,"How?"

"My parents died a few months ago. The scenario's not exactly the same, but the whole pity idea is." Ana's eyes were wide in horror. She wasn't the only one that had been hiding something.

My parents death was the worst experience of my life. I would shiver uncontrollably when I cried, which was often. I couldn't remember a single time that I had left Pony and Darry's side during that grieving period. Our little family was like a rusty old bike, continuously moving and refusing to give up. When my parents died, it was like one of the wheels fell off, screeching and hardly getting along, and it took a long while before we got it back on.

As she opened her mouth to say something, I stopped her by holding up my hand."No pity, pinky promise?" I offered. Yeah, just like old times.

"Promise," she nodded.

Our pinkies clasped together, and we didn't let go. Our arms relaxed to our sides, but our little fingers remained in twined. I finally saw that genuine smile I was used to seeing. She leaned against me, done with the tears. I subconsciously rubbed my eye with my free hand. I hadn't realized I'd let a few drops fall out too.

Sandy's POV

I walked to the DX. Soda said to stop by tonight. I walked into the station and saw him. And Ana. Sitting next to each other. Really close together. Something

inside shattered. I was sad, angry, and confused all at the same time. Is there a word to describe this awful feeling?

I cleared my throat. Ana stood up first, then Soda. Ana seemed to realize the reason I wasn't happy."Are we still on for tonight?" I asked.

"Of course, just let me go lock up the garage," Soda replied. He hadn't realized I sort of felt like snapping every bone in his body. Ana's, too.

When Ana and me were alone, I glared at her before softening my gaze. "Congratulations," I said.

"What?"

"You're finally living your dream," I said."You fell in love. Congratulations."

I could see shock written across her face."With Soda? I'm not in... No, no I can't. He's with you! He told me..."

"What? What did he tell you?" I snapped. This was ridiculous. I never get mad like this. I always try my best to be the nicest I can be.

"That's the secret! All I can tell you is that he loves more then he could ever love anyone else!"

"Not if you keep messing with his head!" I yelled.

"I can't control Soda! What do you want me to do?" She asked. She looked so helpless.

"Just... I don't want to lose Soda because he wanted someone more then me."

"Then I'll stay away from him. I won't come anywhere near him. My dad told me to honor my name, and I feel that stealing some girl's boy would exactly dishonor ,y name. Sandy, I'm so sorry, please forgive me for making you feel bad. Just know that even if I stuck around, Soda would never leave you. He loves you." Then Ana just left.

Soda came back,"Where's Ana?" He asked.

"She went home," I told him.


	6. Chapter 6

**So, today in gym class we were just running/walking. While I did that, I was talking to my friend and she just started reading the Outsiders. I say,"How far have you gotten?"**

**She says,"I only read the first chapter and I don't really like it. All he has talked about was what they look like."**

**"Oh! It gets so much better!" I assure her. I promised her that I wouldn't spoil anything for her.**

**Another one of our friends asks me what it's about, and since I can't tell my other friend what happens, I say that it's about a fourteen year old boy that' said greaser and has a conflict with the rich kids. Then I add,"And Soda's mine! He's all mine!"**

**The first friend says,"Actually, he's Sandy's."**

**I stay calm because she's only on the first chapter. I simply smile and yell,"NO SPOILERS HERE!" And run away while she's like,"Ah, come on, (insert my name here.)! Really?"**

**Then in English class, we're talking about poetry. The teacher asks,"Do you guys know Robert Frost?"**

**The class knows he is because we've read the book in class and the nod, but my hand shoots in the air and I blurt out,"I can recite 'Nothing Gold Can Stay' like this!" Then I snap my fingers. She continues the lesson and is like,"... He uses that style of writing in all of his poems. I can prove it. Alright, (my name goes here.), go ahead." **

**Then I recite the poem without a single doubt that I'd get a line wrong. And I smile smugly when the class is all like,"How do you remember that?"**

**Soooo... That was my day.**

Soda's POV

I hadn't seen Ana in a month. I had no idea what was going on. I thought back to the last time I saw her a few weeks ago.

Me, Two-Bit, Dally, and Steve, were walking around town, disrupting the peace, the usual. I saw Ana walking out of a diner and I ran over to say hello. She looked over to me, then away, and whispered,"Hey". Then she began to walk away.

"What's going on? Are you okay?" I asked, chasing after her.

"I'm fine... I just... Never mind," she concluded.

"Not never mind, is everything alright?" She tried to walk away again.

I grabbed her arm. Ana looked at me. She looked really upset, like when a first grader's older sibling leaves and tells them to leave them alone and then saunters off with their cool older friends."Soda..." I hoped she'd tell me what was up. I wasn't so lucky."I'm sorry. I have to go." She walked away.

"Wait!..." I called. I saw her turn around. I saw the tears in her eyes, and hear her deep breaths. She turned away from me and continued on her way.

Ana still wanted to be my friend, but something was holding her back. What could it be? I pondered about whenever it could be. Maybe her mother doesn't want her to be around a greaser? Or Steve said something that could have offended her? But he told he knew what was going on as much as I did.

I wracked my brain for something Ana had said. The last time I spoke to her before she blew me off was when she told me about her dad and brother. Maybe she thinks I might treat her differently?

I thought of a great plan. I'll find Ana, spend some time with her, make sure she's having a good time, and then ask what was wrong. It's simple, but it has a chance of working. Was there I place I could catch her?... The volleyball game! She's on the school's volleyball team, and the semi finals are on this coming Friday night. It'll be perfect. While they're wallowing in their victory, I'll steal Ana away and carry out my plan.

"Where are we going tonight, Soda?" Sandy asked.

"We're going to watch Ana's volleyball game," I said. It wasn't exactly a date worthy event, but I needed to go to this game and I couldn't cancel a date with Sandy. So I'm taking her with me.

"Ana's volleyball game?" She asked uncertainly.

"Yeah, she's been acting funny lately and I want to make sure she's okay."

"Of course you do."

It was the final moments of the game. It was tied 35-35 and there was time for one more serve. Ana's serve. Good thing too, she was a powerhouse. She had the win in the bag."Yeah Ana! You got this!" I called. She looked through the crowd and saw me. She smiled, then shook her head as if trying shake herself out of a daze.

The ref blew the whistle. The crowd was silent as they waited for the ball to fly over the net. She took a few steps back, then a few more. Her serves were hard enough to knock an unprepared person off there feet if she tried. I smiled as I remembered her doing just that to a poor kid when we first learned volleyball in gym class in fifth grade.

Right before she hit the ball, someone in the crowd shouted,"Tramp!". The ball flew through the air, but diagonally across the other side of the court. It hit the floor just outside the black line. Ana had missed.

The opposing team cheered as Ana looked at her teammates' angry faces and then at the crowd. Everyone but me looked so disappointed. That heckler had gotten into her head and made her miss. Who yelled at her? And such a terrible name, too.

Sandy's POV

Soda and I were standing in the parking lot. Well, I was standing and he was pacing."Are you okay, Soda?" I asked.

"I'm fine," he grumbled."But Ana..."

"I'm sure she's fine," I said. I didn't mean to shout at her during the game, but the way Soda watched her made me fire up with anger, and the word just slipped out.

"No, she's not," Soda insisted."She's been avoiding me for weeks, now, and I don't know why! It's been driving me crazy! I'm gonna talk to her tonight no matter what. Do you think you could find another ride home?"

Another ride home? He's just blowing me off? It's all because of Ana! I wish she'd never moved back here! I wanted to scream. I felt the sudden need to punch someone in the gut."Yeah, I can find a ride," I said."No problem."

"Thanks, you're the greatest!" Soda kissed me on the cheek before running off to his "Friend". If he was going to run around with another girl, that's fine. I'll strut around with another guy and see how that makes Soda feel.

Soda POV

I walked back to the gym and waited for Ana to come out. I felt a little bad about leaving Sandy to find a different way home, but this was something I had to do alone. I hadn't realized this independent desire until after I'd invited Sandy to come along.

Ana exited dressed in her regular clothes instead of her uniform and carrying her gym bag. A familiar face followed her. It was Angela Shepard, sister of Tim and Curly Shepard. I hadn't realized she was on the team too.

"How could you mess up?" Angela inquired irritatedly."We were so close to the finals! The whole school was counting on you! You little-"

"Are you done?" Ana whirled around to face Angela."I know I screwed up and I've gotten over it. When will you?"

Angela began to stomp away, but not without shoving Ana out of her way. When Ana was alone, I approached. With her back facing me, I remembered when I first saw her in four years the past summer. Like then, Ana had her horse necklace.

"You had your hair pulled back during the game," I said. Of course it was down now, I saw her take out the rubber band almost immediately after the game. After years of her saying how much she hated wearing a pony tail, do you really think I'd let something like this slide?

"Don't get used to it," she replied as she turned to face me. Unlike our last encounter, she didn't seem phased."It took three girls tying me down to make it happen."

I laughed."Are you okay?" I asked her.

"Yeah, it's just a game," Ana said.

"Your team didn't seem to think so," I reminded her.

"Well, they're the exact definition of poor sportsmanship," she said. I laughed again.

"Come on, I'll take you home," I offered. She was hesitant."Please?"

"Wow, you said please," she said sarcastically."That's so rare that I have to say yes." We were both smiling ear to ear.


	7. Chapter 7

I was a little thankful that Ana missed that last serve. Because even though she's been avoiding me, she screwed up and has to come with me because of a rule she made up. You see, when she messes up something, she just doesn't care about anything else that happens. "Because I already messed up, it can't get worse," she told me and Steve once. That rule helped with group projects. Steve and I weren't the best at those.

While taking her home, I drove down a dirt road to take the scenic route. The sky was full of gray clouds, but the headlights illuminated the trees and grass. We talked about grade school and laughed all the while. She told me stories about what crazy kids me and Steve and were that I'd forgotten. I hadn't realized she payed so much attention to the two of us.

"How do you remember all this?" I asked."I barely remember this!"

"Because I thought it'd be worth remembering," she replied.

"What, did you just file it away for later?" I joked. She laughed.

"You must remember something about me? Come on, embarrass me, I dare you."

"Well..." I thought about it for a long time before thinking of the perfect moment."In the first grade play rehearsal! Steve missed his cue so you tapped him on the shoulder. He turned around and said,"What do you want?". Then you said,"It's your cue, Bozo!". Then you pushed him forward so he could say his line but accidentally did it too hard and pushed him off the stage!" I laughed remembering."You got a note sent home, remember?"

She was a little red, but replied with,"I also remember another boy laughing at me, so I pushed him off the stage too, just for the heck of it!"

"That really hurt, by the way!" I said.

"I know, I'm sorr-"

"Shhh," I hissed."Listen."

It was the song that we danced to in the sixth grade for music class playing on the radio. I grinned and looked over at Ana. She was shaking her head."No," she said."I won't do it." To make a point, I pulled over and got out of the car. I opened the passenger side and pulled her out too.

"Yes, you are," I said. I turned the volume up. I took her hand and began by twirling her around once. Now that we weren't twelve, we could dance a little more maturely.

The headlights lit up the ground as we danced around. She was having a good time, I could tell. When the song ended, we stopped moving and just watched each other. Ana's seventeen now, I thought vaguely, and so will I in about two months. How'd she go from the little six-year-old to this? Time really does fly. She went from a mere classmate to my school pal to one of my closest friends and now, I don't what we are. She's been avoiding me and I don't know why, but tonight was special. One missed serve made the rest of the night fall into place. Ana became more vulnerable, and I was able to make her feel better by taking her to a secret place and allowing her to remember the good times instead of the bad. In ways, she's still that little girl, but in others, she's not. She's no longer just a girl, now I see that Ana's special and heaven help me if I lose her again.

Thunder rang through the air as rain began to fall. I snapped out of my daze as me and Ana got back into the car. We drove the rest of the way to the West side in a blissful silence that could calm the beating heart.

I pulled into her drive way. Before letting her leave, I had to see if she'd tell me what's been going on with us the past month."Where's your mom?" I ask. There were no other cars in the drive way.

"My sister had a soccer tournament in Oklahoma City, so they're staying the night there. They'll be back tomorrow morning."

"Do you know who shouted at you during the game?" I ask.

"Yes," she replied.

"Who?"

"I can't tell you," she said.

"I'm not gonna beat the person up!" I said indignantly."I just want to know."

"I still can't tell you."

"Why not?" I asked.

She just shook her head.

"Okay then. Don't tell me who yelled, but will you at least tell me why you've been avoiding me?" I asked.

"I can't-I really want to! But I... Can't," Ana whimpered.

"Why?" I asked again."Is it your dad? Or anything else we talked about that night?"

"No... It's not because of you... It's because someone else told me... No, there's no way I can tell you remotely what happened without making it worse."

"Who told you something? Just tell me who."

She paused for a moment."The same person who yelled."

"That person called you a..."

"I know what she called me," Ana said softly."Soda, I've been avoiding you for a reason. You don't know what it is, but, trust me, it's the right reason. I'm sorry."

She got out of the car and ran into her house. I just sat there in shock. Make it worse? The right reason? What was the right reason? I got out of the car and walked through the rain to her front window. I looked through the cold glass. Ana was sitting on the floor sobbing. I'd never seen her cry this hard. She wasn't trying to stop it, either. She just cried. I should've gone in there. I should've made her tell me what was wrong. I should've comforted my friend. I should've gone in there. I didn't.


	8. Chapter 8

**Basically, I can turn into a fire breathing monster in a single second. I'm serious! Last night, my friend said,"The Outsiders is the worst book I've ever read." Me? I freak out and am all like,"I'm gonna kill you! I'm gonna kill you!" Of course I didn't really mean it, but I was pretty close to making her holler Uncle. She didn't mean what she said either, she told me later that she just wanted to see how I reacted. Now she knows. How many of you would've reacted the same way as I did? Anyway, here's chapter eight!**

Ana's POV

I woke up in the morning confused. Why do my eyes feel so dry? As I blinked, I remembered. I'd cried for a few hours last night. I'd been with Soda last night. I'd argued with Soda last night. As the night started out, I'd thought it was the best night of my life. I had been so happy, yet I felt my heart break with every step.

A voice inside my head kept nagging at me, saying that I could never have something like this, not with Soda or anybody else. I've always wanted to fall in love, like in the movies. I knew it would take a while and was willing to wait. When Sandy said I was in love with Soda, I knew she was right. But my dad raised me well and I can't ruin someone's life. By coming between Sandy and Soda, it's a fact that both their hearts would break in the process. I tried my best to stay away, but last night still managed to happen. I hope I didn't ruin anything last night.

I tugged on a lock of my tangled brown hair and observed how soft it was. I vaguely remember taking a shower last night. I looked around the bedroom. The clock read 10:07, so I slept in. I could see clouds out the window, so I knew it was still raining. My sister's bed on the other side of the room had a few bags on top of it, so I knew she was home.

I got up and went to the bathroom to brush my hair and teeth. Then I went downstairs."Good morning!" My mom greeted me as I entered the kitchen.

"Good morning," I replied as I rubbed my eyes.

"You slept in really late," she said."Rough game last night?"

"You could say that," I agreed. I didn't want to worry her with any of my petty teenage problems. She had two men fighting in the war, she doesn't need a war in her own house.

"Faye made some chocolate milk, want some?" Mom asked.

I went a little weak in the knees, but luckily I had sat down on a counter stool so Mom wouldn't notice. Chocolate milk was Soda's favorite drink. It had always been one of my favorites too, but not today."No thanks," I said."I'm not really feeling well."

"Are you sick?"

"No, I think I'm just tired from the game, I'll be fine after I rest a while," I lied.

"Well, go back to bed and I'll bring you some food later, if you like?"

"Thanks Mom," I said as I exited the kitchen.

I stayed in bed the rest of the day just thinking. I'm only human, and I would get in trouble as kid. I remember exactly what my dad would say to scold me and the way he said it, but he never really meant it, yet it stuck with me. He would say,"You're a terrible little girl!" This is the first time I ever believed that.

I felt awful about everything. About leaving Soda in the dark, for lying, for keeping secrets, for everything. There's nothing I could've done. I promised my dad to honor my name while he was away, so that's why I act the way I'm acting. Soda told me that he was thinking about marrying Sandy, so it's clear that he's head over heels in love. I kept that secret, which I guess is a good thing. I may feel bad, but I don't feel sorry for myself. There are others who have it worse then me. I remind myself of that everyday. Thanks to Soda, I have a No Pity promise to keep, and that includes pity for myself as well.

Poor Soda doesn't know what has really gone on. I've only been avoiding him for his sake, for his future with Sandy's sake. Does he feel as bad as I do? Nah, that's not humanly possible for anyone to feel as bad as me. Maybe he'll never know about how I really feel about him, and maybe that's a good thing. I can see him coming home from work to Sandy, his wife, cooking dinner and his children running amuck. They'd scream,"Daddy! Daddy!" at the sight of him and run into his fatherly arms. He'd carry them into the kitchen and kiss Sandy on the cheek and say,"I love you,"-

I threw my head back against the wooden head board to force myself to stop thinking. I did it really hard, accidentally.

"Are you okay up there?" My mom called from Downstairs.

"Fine," I said as rubbed the back of my head."Just peachy," I muttered sarcastically to myself as I pulled the comforter over my head.


	9. Chapter 9

**So, Pony'sgirlfriend guessed in her review that Sandy would talk to Ana before she left and I was like,"Oh! I should totally add that in! That would be amazing!" But then I realized that A) Ana and Sandy have such a sweet get together in this chapter, and B) Adding that in would mess with the ending I have planned. But seriously! Review! I do take what you say into consideration even if it doesn't end up happening! I love hearing what you people have to say! Who knows? Maybe what you say might end up happening... Maybe!**

The next day, I was done moping. I got out of bed and was full of energy. I don't know why, I guess that bump on the must've knocked some sense into me. The sense to realize that even though I might never get over Sodapop, he can still be happy. Happy... With Sandy.

I got dressed and dashed downstairs. My sister was still sawing logs and my mom was making coffee in the kitchen."Good morning!" I said happily.

"Good morning," Mom said."Feeling better?"

"You bet!" I said."Can I go out today?"

"If you feel up to it, sure. But call if you get sick again, alright?"

"Sure thing," I said as I grabbed a piece of toast from a plate on the kitchen counter.

Sandy, Sandy, Sandy. I had to find Sandy. That was all I could think of. Soda said she had a part time job at the Pines Restaurant as a waitress. I went straight there.

It had stopped raining, but it was still chilly. I pulled my jacket against me and sighed as I walked in. The hostess shivered as the wind from the closing door brushed against her."Can I help you?" She asked sweetly.

"I was wondering if I could have a moment to talk to Sandy?" I asked.

"Uh, sure. I'll go get her," She was confused.

"Thanks," I called after her.

I waited a few moments. I looked out the window at the gloomy world. How fitting, I thought. The weather fits my feelings exactly. Sandy came appeared next to me."I never liked the rain," she said."You?"

I glanced at her out of the corner of my eye. Sandy was making polite and innocent conversation, but the look on her face made me fear for my life."I like it enough," I said.

"Why did you want to talk to me?" She asked.

"It's simple, really," I began.

"Oh, is it?" She snapped at me.

"Yes, now listen," I replied calmly, not phased."I'll leave you and Soda alone to be together forever or whatever the heck you want, if you carry out these final requests." She opened her mouth to say something, but I kept going."I want you to love Soda with all your heart and never give him a reason to doubt you or anything you do. I want you to give him hope and faith and..." I was taking to deep breaths to avoid crying."And make sure you do these things. But not for me, for Soda. Got it?"

"But I..." Sandy said.

"No buts," I said."Do you get what I'm saying?"

"I..." She said. I glared at her."I got it."

"Good," I said. Then I left.


	10. Chapter 10

Soda's POV

Christmas is in a few days, and I'm excited. I know it won't be same as all my other Christmases, but it's still Christmas season! My parents won't be here, and neither will Johnny or Dally. Or Sandy either, for that matter. I can't believe she did that. I just want to know why. Why did she do this to me? Did I do something wrong? Say something wrong? Why? That's all I want to know.

The days were getting shorter and the weather's colder as well. The sun was already setting and the breeze was blowing trash through the streets. It hadn't rained much, and for that I'm grateful. I don't think I can see rain without thinking about Ana. About her in my car as the sky roared or of her running to her house for shelter and... To get away from me.

I missed her, but it took a lot of mental strength to keep my mind off of her. I think of her every time it rains, every time I hear news about the war, every time I see a little boy and girl running amuck, every time I hear that song, and every time I find myself waiting for her to walk through the DX doors so she can spend the day with me and Steve.

"Soda," I heard Steve say behind me.

"What?" I asked as I turned to face him. He knows how much I miss her, more so then I do, I think.

"Before we get a winter break, Boss says we have to do some winter cleaning in the garage," Steve explained. Our boss was great, even if I don't go to school anymore, he still lets me have a winter break like Steve.

"Gotcha," I said as we walked out to the garage.

Ana's POV

I couldn't help it. I still walk by the DX sometimes, but far enough away that no one could see me if they looked out the front window. I don't know why I did, but I do.

I thought about the news story that was buzzing through town. A madman was roaming the streets. There were cops all over town searching for the guy.

Then I felt my spine tickle. It was that feeling you get that someone's watching you. I turned around and saw a man in his twenties or so staring at me. I looked at him carefully. Do I know him? No, no I don't. Then I took another glance. There was an angry look in his eyes and he just looked plain crazy. Oh, dear. This was the man.

I looked around for the nearest phone. The nearest phone was... Inside the DX. Great. I went across the street to the station, not looking behind me to see what the patient was doing. I just kept going.

The inside of the station was empty, which I was glad for. I reached over the desk and grabbed the phone. I dialed the police's number.

"You've reached the police station, how can I help you?" Someone on the other end said.

"I think I found the madman," I said.

"Where are you sweetie? I'll send some officers to your location."

"I'm at the DX station. I saw him just outside," I said.

"Thank you, just sit tight for a while, okay?"

"Will do," I assured her. I hung up. I hope I did that right, I've never called the police before.

I heard something behind me. I turned and saw the man looking at me.

"Hi..." I said slowly."You're gonna be okay... There are people coming to help you-"

His hands closed around my neck and I coughed, or attempted to. I struggled to get free, but it made him tighten his grip. I pulled away, he pulled me back. The newspaper did say he was mentally unstable. Finally, I held up my arms and whirled around so my arms hit his. I was free!

I crashed into a spinning rack next to the counter and fell to the floor with it. I tried to sit up and catch my breath, but I've always been terrible at catching.


	11. Chapter 11

**Slower updates then usual... But it's been a long week! I volunteered to work at a week long after school program that teaches disabled kids to ride a two-wheel bike! I'm exhausted, but it was all worth it! I also had a volleyball game last night. My team mates were saying,"If you get all three of your serves in, we win!" And I made the first two in, but with all the pressure, I missed the third by a lot! But technically, we won the game because the opposing team had only two players. So some of my team went and played with them, so basically the blue team (me) had players on the red team. So we won no matter how many serves I missed!(I missed only one! Pinky promise!) **

**Now, onto the chapter! And yes, it is AFTER Sandy moved to Florida.**

Steve's POV

Soda and I heard a crash coming from the front room. We cocked our heads to the side before going to see what was up."If a customer needs help," Soda said.

"They can just ring the bell, not burn the place down." I laughed right before entering the room.

I looked at the scene in front of me. There was a man seething and growling. Then a spinning rack has toppled over. Then... Oh, gosh... Is that? I watched another one of my friends collapse, bringing back memories of a certain hood holding a black object in his hand in the light of a street lamp.

Soda reacted first. He jumped over the counter and socked the guy in the jaw as soon as Ana keeled over. This man wasn't going down without a fight. He hit Soda a few times before shoving him against the wall. Soda fell over. The shelf on the wall had a few weak screws, and I guess all the ruckus made it angry. The wooden shelf holding up at least a hundred or so pounds of junk fell off the wall and landed on top of my best friend.

It was just me. Just me and this juggernaut of a man. I tackled him from behind and pinned him on the ground. After I did so, I heard sirens blaring just outside. A couple of cops burst in and looked around. One of them pulled me off the guy and the other restrained him.

"What happened here, son?" One asked me.

I choked a little on nothing. No one has ever called me son before."I don't know," I said."My buddy and I were working in the garage and we heard a loud noise so we come out here in time to see her pass out and this guy standing over her. We figured he attacked her and so we attacked him."

"You know who this man is?" He asked as some hospital people came in and looked over Ana and Soda.

"No," I said.

"This the madman everyone's been talking about," he explained.

"Well that's great, I just tackled a sick person," I said sarcastically.

"There's no way you could've known. I'm surprised that this girl knew."

"What?" I asked, confused.

"We got a call from a girl at this location saying she saw the man. The girl must be very smart," he explained.

"You could say that," I said.

"Excuse me," a paramedic came up to me."The two subjects are unconscious and already in the ambulance. Could you come with us to give us some information on them and call there families?"

"Of course, Ma'am," I said.

Ponyboy's POV

I cried on the way to the hospital with Darry and Two-Bit. Please be okay, I thought, please let Soda be okay. All three of us have been pretty silent ever since we got that call from Steve.

When we got there, we signed in and, after Darry filled out some paper work, we went down the hall and found Steve pacing back and forth in front of a closed door."Is Soda in there?" Darry asked.

"No," Steve said solemnly."Ana's in here. I still don't know where Soda is."

"Ana?.. Ana?... Oh! Ana!" Two-Bit cried."Now I remember! She was Soda's buddy in grade school!" Steve nodded.

"What exactly happened to the three of you?" Darry demanded.

He told us about watching Ana pass out and the shelf falling on top of Soda and tackling the patient."And you don't know if Soda's okay?" I whimpered. Darry placed a hand on my shoulder.

"I..." Steve began, but a doctor came out of Ana's room at that moment.

"She's awake. Would you like to see her?" He asked us.

"What about Sodapop?" Darry asked formally.

"I believe he's still getting his X-Rays done," the doctor explained."I'll come get you when he's done."

The doctor went down the hall and Steve led the way as we filed into Ana's room. Soda told me about her. She's super smart, and nice, and funny, he had told me. I knew she was special by the way he described her, but I didn't think I'd be meeting her this way.

Ana was sitting upright on the bed, watching us as we came in."Hold on..." She said."Let me guess..." Then she pointed to each of us and said our names.

"How'd you know who's who?" Two-Bit asked.

"I guessed based on what Soda and Steve have told me," she explained.

"Are you okay?" Steve asked.

"I feel fine... They said I have to stay here about a week so they can run tests on my throat, but other then that-"

"What happened to your throat?" Steve cut her off.

She pulled her long brown hair off of her shoulders and revealed bruises all across her neck."He tried to choke me," she said. We all stared at her."I've never passed out before. It was actually a little fun." I beg to differ.

"She must've also hit her head," Two-Bit guessed.

"No, no," Steve said casually."She's always like this."

"Then it's no wonder why she and Soda get along so well."

I thought about that. If Ana could be this happy right now, then she must be happy all the time, like Soda."Where is Soda?" Ana asked suddenly.

Steve looked at her."He's here, getting an X-Ray."

"What happened to him?" She looked pretty upset all of a sudden.

"We came out of the garage and saw you black out," Steve explained slowly, picking his words carefully."When he saw that... He lost it and started to fight the guy. He fell over and that shelf fell on top of him."

"Will he be okay?"

"We don't know."

Then the door flew open and a girl about a year older then me dashed into the room. She was short with tan skin and short brown hair in a ponytail. She hugged Ana."Hey, Faye," Ana said."Don't cry I'm alright."

"What about Christmas?" Faye asked. I guessed that she was Ana's sister."Are you really stuck here 'til the twenty-seventh?"

"Yeah, I am. But Mom will be back tomorrow! You two can still have a great Christmas together."

"But she called," Faye said."She's snowed in and won't get back 'till the twenty sixth!"

"Is there a friend you can go to?" Ana asked.

"Mom already asked Mrs. Valance to let us stay over. But I guess it'll just be me now." Valance. As in Cherry Valance's mom!

"Hey," Ana said sweetly."Cherry's great! I'm sure she'll make sure you have a great Christmas!"

"Okay," Faye sighed."Okay."

"My mom was out of town visiting a friend in Alabama," Ana explained to me and the guys."And she'll be staying there, I guess. And our dad and brother are out in the war, Soda said he'd keep it a secret, so you that's how I knew you didn't know."

The doctor knocked and came in."Sodapop's awake."

That was all he had to say for everyone to either cheer or sigh with relief. We followed the doctor to where my brother was.


	12. Chapter 12

**I just had a great night. My Aunt came to visit and she knew what the Outsiders was about! Granted, she only knew the movie, not the book, but still! I mentioned Sodapop Curtis and she said,"That's Rob Lowe, right?" I'm like,"YES!" When she asked how I knew the book and I said I read it for school, she wondered why it was allowed for school. I sorta agreed with her, I mean, the book includes: murder, suicide, running away, smoking, "Gangs", and violence. But that doesn't change the fact that IT'S THE BEST BOOK EVER!**

**Anywho, here's the chapter!**

Soda's POV

I looked down at my cast. I also thought about how the doctor explained everything to me. I would be okay, Steve didn't even get hit, the person who attacked us is pretty much okay, (I know he's mad, so I guess he'll never be completely okay.) and Ana was okay.

The man that attacked us had been fully explained. I felt bad for hitting a sick person in the jaw, but hey, that's life. You can't be afraid to throw a few punches in order to dodge the ones thrown at you. The man's guardian was one of the richest men in the state and uses his money for charity and other good deeds rather then throw it away on cool cars and parties. He insisted on paying for all my appointments and hospital visits that could result from the attack. Ana's too.

Then the gang came into my room. Darry and Ponyboy did there best to hug me without hurting me, which they achieved. Two-Bit poked my cast before laughing at me. It was his own special way of saying,"I'm glad you're not dead.". Steve patted my good shoulder and said,"I'm glad you're okay, but what were you thinking you knucklehead! You could've died!"

"Ana's okay though, so it's all worth it," I sighed.

"The doctor explain the full extent of your injury?" Darry asked.

"Oh, yeah," I said."My shoulder is broken in two places, I bruised a bone in my elbow, and there might be some permanent nerve damage in my shoulder, too. They won't know until the bones heal. I'll have to stay here a week before being released to go home. I won't be able to use my right arm for a few months."

"That's about right," Two-Bit said with a laugh.

"But how are you so nonchalant about this?" Ponyboy asked me with adoration.

"I told you. It's all worth it."

"You sound like Johnny," Ponyboy said suddenly. We all looked at him. We hardly ever mention Johnny or Dallas, mainly because it upsets Ponyboy. They did die only two months ago."I don't know of I told you guys, but he said it was worth saving those kids, that there lives were worth more then his."

Ponyboy said it without tears, but you could tell that he was hurting by the way his green eyes dulled. The poor thing will never get over it. None of us will. It's the same with our parents. There are some things that will hurt less over time, but never fully heal. That's what I thought, at least.

After a moment of silence of all of us remembering our two friends, I said,"What about Ana? I know she's awake and breathing and, ya know, not dead, but what are her injuries?"

"Her neck's bruised and she has to stay here for about a week so the doctors can run tests on her throat," Darry stated.

"What's up with her throat?" I asked. If I were smarter, I might've figured it out, but I'm not. Ponyboy once wrote,"Serious reality has a hard time coming through to [me], but when it does, it hits [me] pretty hard.".

"The reason she passed out in the first place was because the guy was strangling her," Steve said."The paramedics looking her over on the ambulance said that Ana was lucky to be alive."

Reality does hit me hard. I don't think I'd ever be able to bear another death, that would make it the fifth in one year! I'd probably lose it. I'd definitely lose it. "It" being any sanity and happiness I have left in me. But I was lucky that Ana was alive and I still have "It".

"So I guess I'll be celebrating Christmas in here, huh?" I asked.

"Yeah, Little Buddy," Darry said.

"But we're coming to visit you every day," Ponyboy said excitedly."You'll still have a great Christmas! I promise!"

"And that girlfriend of yours will be here too," Two-Bit teased me.

"She's not my girlfriend," I mumbled. Everyone laughed."What?"

"She's clearly into you!" Steve said.

"We visited her while you were getting your X-Ray," Ponyboy said."She kept asking if you were okay! And she looked so upset when we said you'd been hurt!" He was excited. Ana could be what I need to get out of my Sandy rut. I wouldn't say so, but I've been sad ever since she left.

"And you like her!" Two-Bit shouted in a flirtatious way as he wiggled his eyebrows."I see it in your eyes!"

"It's impossible for you not to like her!" Steve agreed."I knew since way back when that you two would be together at some point or another! That's why I hated her! Back then, girls were the enemy!"

Through the whole exchange, Darry just smirked wryly at all the teenage nonsense that had filled the room.

Christmas in the hospital wasn't very bad, just not the same as the holidays at home with friends and family. My favorite room in the place was the playroom. The room was meant for the little kids in the hospital, but I liked it there. There was a small TV, a radio, a shelf filled with board games and books, and a train table in the center of the room while the edge of the room was lined with arm chairs for the supervising nurses and bean bag chairs for the kids. The whole room was full of bright colors, too.

Though the room was made for little kids, I spent all my time in there. So did Ana and a kind old man recovering from surgery. He was really old, not to be rude, but he was. I liked having Ana around, she was a little more open to me here. She absolutely adored the kids. She would play with them and read to them and teach them new games. A nurse warned her that if Ana talks too much, Ana might damage her voice or throat. Ana replied with,"I'd rather never speak again then let these kids have a horrible holiday."

"Here, here!" I'd called.

I knew Ana was hiding something. She's good at not telling people secrets, but not so great at hiding the fact that she has a secret to hide. If it's a fun secret, her lips would turn upright so slightly that you could hardly tell that she did do that. If it's a serious secret, then she will glance upward before biting her bottom lip. Everyone has tells, and it's useful to know what they are. I planned on finding out whatever she was hiding for me, I felt that I had to.

The gang did come see me everyday. At that time, I would go back to my room to avoid my dear friends from harming any children. You can't put greasers in a room full of fragile objects without something breaking.

Every night, after visiting hours were over, and the kids were back in their rooms, Ana and I would sit at the feet of the old man in the playroom. He said his name was Chet. Every night, he'll tell us a story about him and either his friends or his late wife. He was a fascinating man filled with wonderful tales.

Christmas Eve was the best night yet. The kids were allowed to stay up a little later then normal because of the special occasion. Ana, as usual, was doing her best to make sure the kids have a fantastic Christmas. I'd go so far to say she was working harder then the children's nurses. I chipped in a little too.

The night ended with Ana reading The Velveteen Rabbit aloud. I sat cross legged on the floor with a tiny two-year-old girl on my lap. A lot of the kids had taken a liking to me, and it made my heart heat up like a fire. Because they were sick, they can't go outside. I usually run around outside with the gang on Christmas Eve."Like a bunch of reindeers high on hot chocolate," was how my dad described it. I think we were actually crazier then that and Dad was sparing our feelings.

"Alright ya'll," a nurse shouted as Ana closed the book."Time for bed!"

The room was filled with groans of,"Do we have to?" and "I don't wanna!".

"You want Santa to come, don't you?" The nurse asked. That got the kids to stand up and file out the door.

"I'll put this away for you," I offered. I took the book from Ana and moved to the book shelf.

As I slid the book into it's place, I heard two little first grade girls whispering, or what they thought was whispering,"Ana and Sodapop are the the same age right?"

"I think so."

"I think he likes her."

"I do too."

"I think they could get married!"

I laughed. I couldn't help but agree with them, the liking Ana part, at least. The room was empty except for me, Ana, and Chet. Ana was already sitting on the floor, waiting for Chet's story. I couldn't help but notice the look on her face. It reminded me of when she told me about her dad or the night in the rain.

"Cute kids, huh?" I asked as I sat next to her. She nodded."Did you here Elaina and Abby talking?" She nodded again.

We just sat there for a moment in silence. Ana cleared her throat and said awkwardly,"I haven't seen Sandy coming to visit you?"

"That's 'cause we broke up," I shrugged.

"Oh, Soda. I'm so sorry, why?" She sounded genuinely sorry.

I told her what happened. Ana replied with,"I'm gonna kill her."

"Wait, what?" I gaped at her. She stood up and began to pace.

"She promised me... Ugh! I hate her! I hate her!" Ana growled. This was an odd sight. I'd only seen her this mad in grade school when Dally tried to play some pranks. Let's just say that Ana basically stopped him with a piece of paper and some tape and Dally got expelled... It's a long, long, LONG, story.

"Calm down!" I said."Calm down! What's going on? What promise?" She sat back down.

"Well, I guess I can tell you what's up after all these months now," she said.

"It's about time!" I gasped."Now tell me!"


	13. Chapter 13

**Sooooo... Slower updates then usual... I have a valid reason!(Actually, whether it's valid or not depends on what you think.) Basically, the way I write is I finish the whole story and update the chapters one by one. This story was finished before I even created my account. But, I haven't been posting lately because, wait for it... I don't want it to end! There! That's my "valid" reason. After this chapter, all that's left is the epilogue! And I have some news, drumroll please! There... Will... Be... A... SEQUEL! Yay! I'm also currently brainstorming ideas for a prequel(Soda, Ana, and Steve as kids, plus what Ana was up to when she moved away!) and a second sequel. Anyway the first sequel takes place about a year after this chapter takes place. Ana will be in it, but the main plot is Ponyboy x OC. This OC is Ana's best friend when she moved away, and it is discovered that she is actually Two-Bit's cousin! *GASP* Look forward to it! **

**Anyway, here's chapter 13!**

"Wow... Just, wow..." I said.

"Are you mad?" Ana asked.

"No! Not at all! I'm so glad that you told me what happened," I assured her. "So Sandy asked you to stay away, but you haven't told me why Sandy asked you to stay away?"

"Oh... Um..."

"Spit it out, gal," Chet said. I'd forgotten that he was here too.

"She thought I was in love with you and that you might fall in love with me too and when you went to my game was when she shouted and when you decided to take me home instead of her is when I think she did what she did because she was jealous!" Ana said all of this faster then Ponyboy can run, but I caught every word.

"You? In love with me?" I asked uncertainly. She said Sandy thought she was in love, not that she is in love. I hope it's the second one.

"Maybe?" She said in a pitch higher then normal. She shrugged and I saw her tell. Forget maybe, she did love me.

"That's a yes?" I asked.

"Maybe?" There it was again!

"It is!" I cheered."This is great!"

"What?" She looked confused. Just as well, I was confused too.

"Oh, give me a break!" Chet said."You two have to communicate! Ana, I do think you keeping that secret was the right thing. My late wife and I, we were very aloof, it took us months to get together because we were too shy to say anything! It was like a Midsummers Nightmare!"

"You mean, A Midsummers Night Dream?" Ana asked.

"No."

"What are you talking about?" I whispered.

"Shakespeare," they both replied.

"Gesundheit," I teased them.

We all laughed, momentarily forgetting what we'd been talking about originally. As the laughing died down, Ana and I found each other's eyes. The final sigh after that fit and I'm just looking at her, and she's looking back.

"Ana..." I said, looking into her eyes."I... I, uh... I..."

"Just kiss her, you fool," Chet grumbled.

Ana started to say something, but I cut her off with a kiss.

The next day, I was sitting in bed. It was Christmas Day and the gang should arrive any minute now. I thought back to last night and couldn't stop smiling. She had kissed me back. She loves me. She's my girl now. And something tells me she always will be.

The gang came into the room."Merry Christmas!" They shouted.

"Merry Christmas!" I said back.

"What's with the face?" Two-Bit asked.

"What face?" I asked him back.

"Your face, genius!" He replied."Why are you so happy?"

I just glanced at all of them as they stared at me."Nothing!" I said.

"Liar, liar! Pants on fire!" Two-Bit sang."Spill the beans!"

"No!" I insisted.

"C'mon, Soda," Ponyboy said."You know they won't leave you alone until you say!"

"Why don't you lie? It'll make it easier," Darry guessed.

"I'm not gonna lie to you!" I said."This is what happened..." And then I told about the "K" word. They clapped me on the back and said,"Way to go!".

I'm not gonna lie, it was a great Christmas. I had a broken arm, so what? I had friends, family, and, now, a healed heart. Life is tough, it's always changing and always will. You can't stop it. No one can. Just learn to change with it. You have to learn what the right thing to do is, and you won't always have someone to help you decide. You have to go with your gut and follow your heart. That is how you succeed.


	14. Epilogue

**This is it! The epilogue! I finally finished my first multi chapter story! Don't fret though, there is the sequel! I will post the first chapter right after I post this... So if you're reading this, then it should be up! But finish this story first! When you find the sequel, do me a favor and not judge a story by it's title? Thanks!**

**Now, the moment you've all been waiting for...**

Epilogue: Soda's POV-1975

The airport was crowded. It was full of the many families waiting to welcome the soldiers home after years of fighting in the war. Steve had gone when he was about twenty years old and Two-Bit when he was nineteen. The two of them had been home for a while when the war ended. They both had a girl in their lives. Evie and Steve had called it quits a few months before he got drafted.

My brothers and I were lucky that we didn't have to go. Darry because he was a legal guardian of a minor for the first part of the war, and then he was helping Ponyboy get through college, so that saved him. Ponyboy was, as stated earlier, a minor for the first part of the war. Then he couldn't go for his involvement in a murder. Me, it was because I had an injury. The doctor's prediction had come true, I had nerve damage in my shoulder. I couldn't pull my arm back very far or lift it up above my head.

I remembered asking exactly what that meant. Ana had said,"Nerve cells deliver messages from the brain to other body parts. When they're damaged they can't do that, so I guess you're stuck."

I looked at my left hand and the ring on my finger. Then I held my wife's hand as we waited patiently for a glimpse of her brother and my friends. Ana had been very strong about this whole thing. She couldn't write letters to Rick because he was in a secret unit, I don't know the details. Ana's father had come home in 1972, two years after Ana got married. I remember the day I met him quite well.

Three years ago, I had asked Ana,"Are you nervous?"

"Heck, no!" She replied."Are you nervous?"

"Why would I be nervous?" I asked confidently.

"Well, my father dearest is protective of his dear daughter. And while he was away, she got married to someone he's never met," she explained."I would hate to be you."

"Well, let's just be glad I finally can meet him," I said."You think he'll like me?"

"Sodapop," She said sweetly before changing her tone."For all I know, he could hate you. But my mom likes you, so there's that. This isn't you meeting my dad, it's a son in law meeting his father in law." There was a cry from a room down the hall."... And a grandson meeting his grandfather."

Ana went down the hall to our son's room. That's right! Son. We had just adopted a baby boy two months ago or so. His name was Oliver. She came back with the little guy in her arms. He'd just woken up from a nap and was crying.

"Oh, what's with the tears, little guy?" I asked as I took him in my arms and began to rock him.

I had nothing to worry about. He liked me just fine.

The group that was waiting for Rick, included me and Ana, her parents, and Ponyboy and his wife, who was also Ana's best friend. A ton of soldiers had already gotten off the plane and were being happily reunited with there families and lovers.

Two-year-old Oliver tugged on Ana's pant leg. She bent down to pick him up. He had sand colored hair that hung down in front of his eyes. I put my arm around Ana and pushed the hair out of Oliver's face. He smiled his toddler smile at me. He was a bit a quiet kid, but his laugh could silence the ocean.

I saw a familiar face in the crowd. I patted Ana's shoulder and pointed him out. She looked so happy to see her brother. I took Oliver into my arms as Ana joined her parents in welcoming Rick home. I smiled at the scene in front of me.

I turned to talk to my brother and his wife and we talked about who knows what, we were just happy that Ana had her whole family back."Sodapop Curtis?" Someone said behind me. I turned and was face to face with Rick.

"Hey, Rick. Long time, no see," I said. I pulled Ollie close to me to keep him from wandering off onto the crowd. I held out my hand to shake Rick's.

As Rick shook my right hand, he noticed my left hand."Who's the lucky girl?" He asked.

"The lucky girl who married me?" I asked. I knew what he wanted to know, but I felt it should be his sister who told him."The lucky girl who adopted this little monster with me?"

"That would be what I asked, yes," he replied.

I stuttered a little and Oliver yelled,"MaMa!" Then he ran into Ana's approaching arms. Oliver was whispering in her ear as she walked towards me and Rick. I put an arm around her and looked at Rick.

"You two?" He asked.

"Yes," I replied.

"I should've figured," he mumbled."Congrats, you two!"

"Thank you," I said.

Ana rested her head in my shoulder and hugged Oliver close to her."I'm glad everyone's back."

"Me too," I agreed wholeheartedly.

"Life is good," she concluded.

"I love you," I said.

"I love you too," she told me."Now kiss me, you fool."

I did as I was told.


End file.
